The Mark of Zorro (29 page)

“Which door?” he asked of the guard.

“The second one,
señor.”

They hurried to it, and Señor Zorro unlocked it and threw it open. He forced the guard to hold a candle high above his head.

A gasp of pity came from beneath the highwayman's mask. He saw the aged don standing by the window, saw the two women crouched on the bench, saw the vile companions they had in this miserable place.

“Now may Heaven forgive the governor!” he cried.

Señorita Lolita looked up in alarm, and then gave a glad cry. Don Carlos whirled at the highwayman's words.

“Señor Zorro!” he gasped.

“The same, Don Carlos! I have come with some friends to rescue you!”

“I cannot allow it,
señor.
I shall not run away from what is in store for me. And it would avail me little to have you do the rescuing. I am accused now of harboring you, I understand. How will it look, then, if you effect my escape?”

“There is no time for argument,” Señor Zorro said. “I am not alone in this, but have twenty-six men with me. And a man of your blood, and gentle ladies such as those of your family, shall not spend an entire night in this miserable hole if we can prevent it.
Caballeros!”

The last word was one of command. Two of the
caballeros
threw themselves upon Don Carlos, subdued him quickly, and half carried him into the hall and along it toward the office. Two others grasped the Doña Catalina by the arms, as gently as they could, and so carried her along.

Señor Zorro bowed before the
señorita,
and extended a hand, which she clasped gladly.

“You must trust me,
señorita,”
he said.

“To love is to trust,
señor!”

“All things have been arranged. Ask no questions, but do as I bid. Come!”

He threw an arm around her, and so led her from the prison-room, leaving the door open behind him. If some of the miserable wretches there could win through and out of the building, Señor Zorro had no wish to prevent them. More than half of them, he judged, were there because of prejudice or injustice.

Don Carlos was causing an unearthly clamor, shouting that he refused to be rescued, and that he would stay and face the governor at the trial, and show the blood that was in him. Doña Catalina was whimpering a bit because of fright, but made no resistance.

They reached the office, and Señor Zorro ordered the guard to a corner of it, with instructions to remain there quietly for some time after they had gone. And then one of the
caballeros
threw open the outside door.

There was a tumult outside at that moment. Two soldiers had approached with a fellow caught stealing at the tavern, and the
caballeros
had stopped them. One glance at the masked faces had been enough to tell the troopers that here was something wrong.

A soldier fired a pistol, and a
caballero
answered the fire, neither hitting the mark. But the shooting was enough to attract the attention of those in the tavern, and also of the guards at the
presidio.

Troopers at the
presidio
were awakened immediately, and took the places of the guards while the latter mounted and spurred down the hill to ascertain the cause of the sudden tumult at that hour of the night. Sergeant Pedro Gonzales and others hurried from the tavern. Señor Zorro and his companions found themselves facing a resistance when they least expected it.

The jailer had gathered courage enough to work himself free of gag and bonds, and he shrieked through a window of his chamber that prisoners were being released by Señor Zorro. His shriek was understood by Sergeant Gonzales, who screeched for his men to follow him and earn a part of his excellency's reward.

But the
caballeros
had their three rescued prisoners on horseback, and they spurred through the gathering throng and so dashed across the plaza and toward the highway.

Shots flew about them, but no man was hit. Don Carlos Pulido was still screaming that he refused to be rescued. Doña Catalina had fainted, for which the
caballero
who had her in charge was grateful, since he could give more attention to his horse and weapons.

Señor Zorro rode wildly, with the Señorita Lolita in the saddle before him. He spurred his magnificent horse ahead of all the others, and so led the way to the highroad. And when he had reached it, he pulled up his mount and watched the others come galloping to the spot, to ascertain whether there had been casualties.

“Carry out your orders,
caballeros!”
he commanded, when he saw that all had won through safely.

And so the band was broken into three detachments. One rushed along the Pala road with Don Carlos. Another took the highway that would lead them to the
hacienda
of Don Alejandro. Señor Zorro, riding without any of his comrades at his side, galloped toward Fray Felipe's place, the
señorita's
arms clasped tightly about his neck, and the
señorita's
voice in his ear.

“I knew that you would come for me,
señor,”
she said. “I knew you were a true man, and would not see me and my parents remain in that miserable place.”

Señor Zorro did not answer her with words, for it was not a time for speech with his enemies so close at his heels, but his arm pressed the
señorita
closer to him.

He had reached the crest of the first hill; and now he stopped the horse to listen for sounds of pursuit, and to watch the flickering lights far behind.

For there was a multitude of lights in the plaza now, and in all the houses, for the
pueblo
had been aroused. The
presidio
building was ablaze with light, and he could hear a trumpet being blown, and knew that every available trooper would be sent on the chase.

The sound of galloping horses came to his ears. The troopers knew in what direction the rescuers had traveled; and the pursuit would be swift and relentless, with his excellency on the scene to offer fabulous rewards and urge on his men with promises of good posts and promotion.

But one thing pleased Señor Zorro as his horse galloped down the dusty highway and the
señorita
clung to him and the keen wind cut into his face—he knew that the pursuit would have to be divided into three parties.

He pressed the
señorita
to him again, put spurs to his horse, and rode furiously through the night.

Over the hills peeped the moon.

Señor Zorro would have had the sky heavy with clouds this night and the moon obscured, could he have had things his own way, for now he was riding along the upper trail, and his pursuers were close behind and could see him against the brightening sky.

The horses ridden by the troopers were fresh, too, and the most of those belonging to the men of his excellency's escort were magnificent beasts, as swift as any in the country, and able to endure many miles of travel at a terrific pace.

But now the highwayman thought only of getting all the speed possible out of his own mount, and of making as great as he could the distance between himself and those who followed; for at the end of his journey he would need quite a little time, if he was to accomplish what he had set out to do.

He bent low over the
señorita,
and felt his horse with the reins, making himself almost a part of the animal he rode, as any good horseman can. He reached the crest of another hill, and glanced back before he began the descent into the valley. He could see the foremost of his pursuers.

Had Señor Zorro been alone, no doubt the situation would have caused him no uneasiness, for many times he had been in a position more difficult, and had escaped. But the
señorita
was on the saddle before him now, and he wanted to get her to a place of safety, not only because she was the
señorita
and the woman he loved, but also because he was not the sort of man to let a prisoner he had rescued be recaptured. Such an event, he felt, would be a reflection on his skill and daring.

Mile after mile he rode, the
señorita
clinging to him, and neither speaking a word. Señor Zorro knew that he had gained some on those who followed, but not enough to suit his purpose.

Now he urged his horse to greater effort and they flew along the dusty highway, past
haciendas
where the hounds barked in sudden alarm, past the huts of natives where the clamor of beating hooves on the hard road caused bronze men and women to tumble from their bunks and rush to their doors.

Once he charged through a flock of sheep that were being driven to Reina de Los Angeles and the market there, and scattered them to either side of the road, leaving cursing herders behind him. The herders gathered the flock again, just in time to have the pursuing soldiers scatter it once more.

On and on he rode, until he could see, far ahead, the mission buildings at San Gabriel glistening in the moonlight. He came to a fork in the road, and took the trail that ran to the right, toward the
hacienda
of Fray Felipe.

Señor Zorro was a reader of men, and he was trusting to his judgment to-night. He had known that the Señorita Lolita would have to be left either where there were women, else where there was a robed Franciscan to stand guard over her, for Señor Zorro was determined to protect his lady's good name. And so he was pinning his faith to old Fray Felipe.

Now the horse was galloping over softer ground, and was not making such good speed. Señor Zorro had little hope that the troopers would turn into the San Gabriel Road when they arrived at the fork, as they might have done had it not been moonlight and they had been unable to catch sight now and then of the man they pursued. He was within a mile of Fray Felipe's
hacienda
now, and once more he gave his horse the spurs in an effort to obtain greater speed.

“I shall have scant time,
señorita,”
he said, bending over her and speaking into her ear. “Everything may depend upon whether I have been able to judge a man correctly. I ask only that you trust me.”

“You know I do that,
señor!”

“And you must trust the man to whom I am carrying you,
señorita,
and listen well to his advice upon all matters concerned with this adventure. The man is a
fray.”

“Then everything will be well,
señor,”
she replied, clinging to him closely.

“If the saints are kind, we shall meet again soon,
señorita.
I shall count the hours, and deem each one of them an age. I believe there are happier days ahead for us.”

“May Heaven grant it!” the girl breathed.

“Where there is love, there may be hope,
señorita.”

“Then my hope is great,
señor.”

“And mine!” he said.

He turned his horse into Fray Felipe's driveway now, and dashed toward the house. His intention was to stop only long enough to leave the girl, hoping that Fray Felipe would afford her protection, and then ride on, making considerable noise and drawing the troopers after him. He wanted them to think that he was merely taking a short cut across Fray Felipe's land to the other road, and that he had not stopped at the house.

He reined in his horse before the veranda steps, sprang to the ground and lifted the
señorita
from the saddle, hurrying with her to the door. He beat against it with his fist, praying that Fray Felipe was a light sleeper and easily aroused. From the far distance there came a low drumming sound that he knew was made by the hooves of his pursuers' horses.

It seemed to Señor Zorro that it was an age before the old
fray
threw open the door and stood framed in it, holding a candle in one hand. The highwayman stepped in swiftly and closed the door behind him, so no light would show outside. Fray Felipe had taken a step backward in astonishment when he had beheld the masked man and the
señorita
he escorted.

“I am Señor Zorro,
fray,”
the highwayman said, speaking swiftly and in low tones. “Perhaps you may feel that you owe me a small debt for certain things?”

“For punishing those who oppressed and mistreated me, I owe you a large debt,
caballero,
though it is against my principles to countenance violence of any sort,” Fray Felipe replied.

“I was sure that I had made no mistake in reading your character,” Señor Zorro went on. “This
señorita
is Lolita, the only daughter of Don Carlos Pulido.”

“Ha!”

“Don Carlos is a friend of the
frailes,
as you well know, and has known oppression and persecution the same as they. Today the governor came to Reina de Los Angeles and had Don Carlos arrested and thrown into the
cárcel
on a charge that has no true worth, as I happen to know. He also had the Doña Catalina and this young lady put in
cárcel,
in the same prison-room with drunkards and dissolute women. With the aid of some good friends, I rescued them.”

“May the saints bless you,
señor,
for that kind action!” Fray Felipe cried.

“Troopers are pursuing us,
fray.
It is not seemly, of course, that the
señorita
ride farther with me alone. Do you take her and hide her,
fray
—unless you fear that such a course may cause you grave trouble.”

“Señor!”
Fray Felipe thundered.

“If the soldiers take her, they will put her in
cárcel
again, and probably she will be mistreated. Care for her then, protect her, and you will more than discharge any obligation you may feel that you owe me.”

“And you,
señor?”